Rise Collaborative

Power to the people!

Hundreds of residents packed a Town of Tonawanda Planning Board meeting on Wednesday night to voice opposition to a proposed 300-megawatt data center planned for the former Tonawanda Coke site along River Road.

The project, proposed as part of the Riverview Innovation and Technology Campus redevelopment, would transition a portion of the former industrial property into a large-scale data center. Residents who spoke during the public meeting raised concerns about electricity demand, environmental impacts, noise and potential effects on nearby neighborhoods.

For nearby resident James Gomez, the proposal represents a continuation of the site's troubled legacy.

"To what benefit?" Gomez asked the board. "So that we can all see our electric bills rise due to the energy demand of large corporations and developers? So that we can continue polluting water and the air through the downstream effects? This facility will provide no meaningful amount of jobs of the surrounding area. It will not provide us with access to new technologies or facilities that could improve the lives of those around it."

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There has not been a mayor in Buffalo who would take a swing this big in about 100 years. It's about damn time we fought for ourselves and our future.

Ryan wants city to take the lead on Scajaquada project After years of delays and last year’s setback, the city needs to push to get the project headed in the right direction again, Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan said.

Time to ask who we are, Buffalo.
People who look away or people who show up.